Our global, networked world calls for a new way of thinking about assessing the competencies of job applicants and employees.

Computer-based testing is not new, but the use of high fidelity online simulations for high stakes personnel decisions is still in its infancy. HumRRO is a proven thought leader in mastering the complexities associated with effectively measuring one’s competencies with the precision and confidence needed to make personnel decisions. Accurate and reliable information about competencies such as conflict management, problem-solving, and team building can be used to evaluate an organization’s current leadership bench strength, provide diagnostic assessments for developmental purposes, or provide key information on which to base hiring and promotion decisions.

There is no doubt that complex simulations are an efficient, realistic, and engaging way to measure a diverse set of competencies. To that end, HumRRO
develops fully customized, client-owned, high fidelity simulations that take advantage of branching and multi-level animation to place the test taker in realistic situations. The simulations can be administered online and on demand. The use of branching technology allows the tool to track and score responses at several points during the assessment process. Our content oriented development approach ensures a high degree of job-relatedness and face validity. Additionally, we have conducted several criterion-related validity studies which have shown strong relationships between these rich-media assessments and job performance. The
simulations produce valid and reliable scores while providing an engaging experience that today’s users expect and demand. When used for development,
participants also receive competency-based feedback to stimulate self-reflection and facilitate discussions with peers, mentors, or supervisors. Because our assessments are fully customized, they reflect each client organization’s culture, values, and policies.

These interactive assessments are an ideal medium for delivering self-assessment tools to facilitate competency development. In fact, HumRRO has created several batteries precisely to serve this purpose, including a self-assessment process for civilian managers at the Department of Defense and a suite of measures for evaluating critical competencies for human resources professionals in a large professional association. At the conclusion of the assessment, each participant receives a customized feedback report containing his or her competency scores and suggestions for developmental activities.

These engaging, interactive assessments offer an ideal means to assess job-relevant competencies even in high-stakes scenarios such as selection and promotion. In fact, a number of our clients use our custom-developed rich media simulations in their pre-employment screening or promotion processes, including a large insurance company and a federal law enforcement agency. We have mastered the nuances associated with the measurement challenges presented by these types of assessments so that we are confident of the resulting scores, even in situations that involve important employment decisions.

Simulations provide an optimal solution for distributed, on-demand training since a virtual “coach” can provide immediate and targeted feedback to the participant. Clients are using tools we have built explicitly for their purposes to train employees on various activities. For example, one client uses it to provide refresher training to individuals conducting structured interviews during the hiring process.

This innovative technology allows us to effectively portray the nature of a job in a realistic and engaging manner. We have supplemented the traditional approach to previewing a job with questions that ascertain a person’s interests and fit with that job. By the end of the virtual preview, the individual has a good feel for the job as well as a sense of whether that job is a good fit based on his or her expressed interests. A prime example of this can be found at Discoverpolicing.org.

HumRRO’s assessment experts develop the rich job-related content and then, using a state-of-the-art authoring tool, create interactively animated assessments that can be easily integrated into an external hosting system, such as the client’s learning management system. The production tool was built specifically to deliver rich media simulations that can accommodate next-generation assessment methods including mobile devices that cannot play Flash objects (e.g., iPad, iPhone). In addition, this tool makes it easy to incorporate user accessibility features, such as those required in the Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

HumRRO offers its clients flexible options for hosting and delivering the assessments. As noted above, the assessments can be easily integrated into the client’s own IT platform or in a third party vendor’s platform. Alternatively, HumRRO can host and deliver the assessments on its own delivery platform.